4 ms·

An interesting mention in the article: > There was levofloxacin, which can cause Achilles tendon rupture Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (a gener

An interesting mention in the article: > There was levofloxacin, which can cause Achilles tendon rupture Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (a generic, also under the brand name Levaquin), along with ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and others. Fluoroquinolones can cause a large variety of permanent and disabling systems that doctors are not well trained to recognize. They don't just attack the achilles tendon, for example, they can cause tendon ruptures anywhere in the body, as well as retinal detachments. The Achilles is more likely to go first simply because it's a more used tendon with a higher load to tendon size ratio. They also can cause a variety of permanent neurological conditions which doctors also aren't well trained to recognize. These drugs are well documented to potentially cause permanent damage to your nervous system, yet doctors don't know about the how or why of the damage, if they are even aware of the link. In my experience, most aren't, given that the link wasn't discovered until more than 30 years after the drugs were released. They also cause mitochondrial impairment and die-off, along with mitochondrial DNA damage. Given all of this, how many long term chronic sufferers might have side effects related to fluoroquinolones? Many people who are affected report neuropathy, brain fog, physical impairments, and sometimes psychosis. Given that fluoroquinolones are documented to attack almost any part of human body functioning, how do you accurately link long term chronic conditions to the use of these drugs? For fluoroquinolone damage, there aren't even tests to confirm links, only the lucky few will have doctors who put together the notes from taking medical history.

whatshisface 5y ago
Mitochondrial damage is probably the cornerstone of the side effects of this class of antibiotics, for the following reasons: - Nerves, especially peripheral nerves, have some of the slowest mitochondrial replacement in the body. This makes them especially vulnerable compared to say the shortlived cells in your stomach lining. - Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are designed to attack bacterial gene replication, but they are known to attack mitochondrial gene replication as well. [0] - There's a surprisingly close resemblance between the diabetic symptoms caused by sustained high blood glucose and the side effects of fluoroquinolones - including tendinitis. That makes sense because mitochondria are the center of oxidative stress in the cell (due to their role in metabolism) and are also damaged, by a different mechanism, during periods of high blood sugar. [0] https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/46/18/9625/5088042 https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/46/18/9625/5088042
- nradov 5y ago
  Which makes sense because mitochondria essentially are bacteria which were incorporated into our cells through endosymbiosis. Now this is highly speculative and I have no real evidence for it. But is it possible that widespread use of antibiotics could be one of the factors behind the increase in metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes?
tristor 5y ago
This is a great question. I took Ciprofloxacin which was prescribed to me as first-line for traveler's diarrhea while I was traveling for an extended period of time. Just one dose caused temporary dementia that persisted for several hours and loss of memory, and I was instructed by a nurse on-call to discontinue usage. Prior to that experience I had no idea how potentially dangerous and neurologically damaging these antibiotics can be, and in particular I am at very high risk of retinal detachment and should have been contraindicated on that reason alone. However, these are first-line antibiotics for many conditions, including relatively common conditions like traveler's diarrhea. Sadly, due to antibiotic resistance we are running out of "gentler" antibiotic options, and so we (as a society) use "rougher" first-lines now.
notabee 5y ago
I don't know why the achilles tendon gets so much attention when the structure you really should worry about is the aorta. Recent studies have shown a significant risk of aortic distension or rupture from fluoroquinolones. Among all the other nasty things that they do, like nerve damage.
- sterlind 5y ago
  the risk is especially high in the Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndromes. it seems to compound the connective tissue problems of those diseases and make aortic dissection far more likely.
mountain_peak 5y ago
My wife had a kidney infection when she was pregnant with our middle child in 2003, and the walk-in clinic doc prescribed Ciprofloxacin. She filled out the prescription, but I did a quick search just to make sure it was safe during pregnancy. The research at the time indicated it was generally safe, but I came across one study that indicated negative outcomes on experiments on pregnant dogs; the resultant puppies had issues with joints, cartilage development, and general 'lameness'. Called the clinic and had the prescription changed to a penicillin-based antibiotic, with was prudent, since Cipro-class drugs (fluoroquinolones) have since been removed from the drugs recommended in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
avgDev 5y ago
I have been given a flouroquinolone antibiotic about 10 years ago. I suffer from side effects until this day. I instantly recognized symptoms and tied them to the medication. I have been tested for nearly everything, including punch biopsy to check for SFN. All negative. I have been to Mayo, Rush, UIC and other large hospital networks with physicians who would be considered "top" in the country. Always saying this has started instantly during my cipro IV. Out of 40+ doctors I have seen, 3 recognized it as a possibility, others completely ignored my claims. I have since then met many people who suffered from many weird symptoms, some got better over a long period of time. Then, took the antibiotic again because they did not know it caused their issues, only to end up with even worse health issues than the first time. At this point I have completely given up on the medical field. I am doing PT, which seems to be improving some of the tendon issues and doing aerobic exercise. I am and many others are testing supplements, PRP injections, peptides, and novel possible treatments for nerve damage as long as there is scientific evidence. In the end, I seem to be making improvements even today. Initially I could not walk up the stairs due to extreme pain. I was bed bound for 2 weeks. These days I'm working, exercising and learning new things. My brain fog is mostly gone. I do get pain here and there, dry eyes but many are much worse off than I am. Still have some neurological twitches, mild insomnia and fatigue but I can get on with my life. I have completely improved my diet, tried many protocols and supplements. Also, I understand risks with medications, even though at the time the doctor did not advise of any risk at all. This isn't my problem with flouroquinolones, as they could save a life. I have a problem with a completely ignorant medical field........these doctors are ignoring last 20 years of research and FDA/EMA warnings. I legitimately lost trust for doctors. Today, these risks are very well documented. Yet, here we are. Edit: The only test that was odd was an MRI of my hip. I had an MRI before cipro due to labral tear from sports. After cipro I had another one and the two were compared. It was noted that I had some loss of cartilage.
ipaddr 5y ago
I can attest to this. This is what happened to me after 10 days into a 2 week Ciprofloxacin. It completely distroyed me in ways I couldn't imagine before. It literally turned on genes that are difficult to turn back. In the beginning my entire body was vibrating at crazy high speed heart rate was. Instant depression. Nervous system completely shot. Bloating so bad at times deep breathing for hours was required after any food. Couldn't sleep more than 4 hours. I lost 75 pounds in 1 1/2 months. I kept dropping until I went from 240 to 142. Years later I still only eat 7 foods. At least the depression is gone. Doctors I found to be unhelpful.
sterlind 5y ago
I narrowly avoided taking fluoroquinolones for a UTI in college because the side effect list scared me. A decade later and I was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that makes those side effects far more likely and severe. Being a hypochondriac came in handy for once!

whatshisface 5y ago

Mitochondrial damage is probably the cornerstone of the side effects of this class of antibiotics, for the following reasons: - Nerves, especially peripheral nerves, have some of the slowest mitochondrial replacement in the body. This makes them especially vulnerable compared to say the shortlived cells in your stomach lining. - Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are designed to attack bacterial gene replication, but they are known to attack mitochondrial gene replication as well. [0] - There's a surprisingly close resemblance between the diabetic symptoms caused by sustained high blood glucose and the side effects of fluoroquinolones - including tendinitis. That makes sense because mitochondria are the center of oxidative stress in the cell (due to their role in metabolism) and are also damaged, by a different mechanism, during periods of high blood sugar. [0] https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/46/18/9625/5088042 https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/46/18/9625/5088042

nradov 5y ago
Which makes sense because mitochondria essentially are bacteria which were incorporated into our cells through endosymbiosis. Now this is highly speculative and I have no real evidence for it. But is it possible that widespread use of antibiotics could be one of the factors behind the increase in metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes?

tristor 5y ago

This is a great question. I took Ciprofloxacin which was prescribed to me as first-line for traveler's diarrhea while I was traveling for an extended period of time. Just one dose caused temporary dementia that persisted for several hours and loss of memory, and I was instructed by a nurse on-call to discontinue usage. Prior to that experience I had no idea how potentially dangerous and neurologically damaging these antibiotics can be, and in particular I am at very high risk of retinal detachment and should have been contraindicated on that reason alone. However, these are first-line antibiotics for many conditions, including relatively common conditions like traveler's diarrhea. Sadly, due to antibiotic resistance we are running out of "gentler" antibiotic options, and so we (as a society) use "rougher" first-lines now.

notabee 5y ago

I don't know why the achilles tendon gets so much attention when the structure you really should worry about is the aorta. Recent studies have shown a significant risk of aortic distension or rupture from fluoroquinolones. Among all the other nasty things that they do, like nerve damage.

sterlind 5y ago
the risk is especially high in the Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndromes. it seems to compound the connective tissue problems of those diseases and make aortic dissection far more likely.

mountain_peak 5y ago

My wife had a kidney infection when she was pregnant with our middle child in 2003, and the walk-in clinic doc prescribed Ciprofloxacin. She filled out the prescription, but I did a quick search just to make sure it was safe during pregnancy. The research at the time indicated it was generally safe, but I came across one study that indicated negative outcomes on experiments on pregnant dogs; the resultant puppies had issues with joints, cartilage development, and general 'lameness'. Called the clinic and had the prescription changed to a penicillin-based antibiotic, with was prudent, since Cipro-class drugs (fluoroquinolones) have since been removed from the drugs recommended in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

avgDev 5y ago

I have been given a flouroquinolone antibiotic about 10 years ago. I suffer from side effects until this day. I instantly recognized symptoms and tied them to the medication. I have been tested for nearly everything, including punch biopsy to check for SFN. All negative. I have been to Mayo, Rush, UIC and other large hospital networks with physicians who would be considered "top" in the country. Always saying this has started instantly during my cipro IV. Out of 40+ doctors I have seen, 3 recognized it as a possibility, others completely ignored my claims. I have since then met many people who suffered from many weird symptoms, some got better over a long period of time. Then, took the antibiotic again because they did not know it caused their issues, only to end up with even worse health issues than the first time. At this point I have completely given up on the medical field. I am doing PT, which seems to be improving some of the tendon issues and doing aerobic exercise. I am and many others are testing supplements, PRP injections, peptides, and novel possible treatments for nerve damage as long as there is scientific evidence. In the end, I seem to be making improvements even today. Initially I could not walk up the stairs due to extreme pain. I was bed bound for 2 weeks. These days I'm working, exercising and learning new things. My brain fog is mostly gone. I do get pain here and there, dry eyes but many are much worse off than I am. Still have some neurological twitches, mild insomnia and fatigue but I can get on with my life. I have completely improved my diet, tried many protocols and supplements. Also, I understand risks with medications, even though at the time the doctor did not advise of any risk at all. This isn't my problem with flouroquinolones, as they could save a life. I have a problem with a completely ignorant medical field........these doctors are ignoring last 20 years of research and FDA/EMA warnings. I legitimately lost trust for doctors. Today, these risks are very well documented. Yet, here we are. Edit: The only test that was odd was an MRI of my hip. I had an MRI before cipro due to labral tear from sports. After cipro I had another one and the two were compared. It was noted that I had some loss of cartilage.

ipaddr 5y ago

I can attest to this. This is what happened to me after 10 days into a 2 week Ciprofloxacin. It completely distroyed me in ways I couldn't imagine before. It literally turned on genes that are difficult to turn back. In the beginning my entire body was vibrating at crazy high speed heart rate was. Instant depression. Nervous system completely shot. Bloating so bad at times deep breathing for hours was required after any food. Couldn't sleep more than 4 hours. I lost 75 pounds in 1 1/2 months. I kept dropping until I went from 240 to 142. Years later I still only eat 7 foods. At least the depression is gone. Doctors I found to be unhelpful.

sterlind 5y ago

I narrowly avoided taking fluoroquinolones for a UTI in college because the side effect list scared me. A decade later and I was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that makes those side effects far more likely and severe. Being a hypochondriac came in handy for once!